The No. 3Utah Utes seemed to have found their match against No. 14 Fresno State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But they eventually managed to pull away late for a spot in the Round of 32. Their path won’t get much easier, though. They take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs coming off an “upset” of No. 6 Seton Hall.
It’s going to be one hell of a matchup to reach the Sweet 16. Will Utah continue their excellent run? Or will Gonzaga pull off yet another upset in the Big Dance? Read on as we take a look at this intriguing clash.
The Utah Utes seemed to let their lead slip away. Head coach Larry Krystkowiak didn’t seem to mind, letting his Utes figure things out on their own. They didn’t disappoint. The Utes answered back with a 19-2 run to ultimately send Fresno State packing with a 80-69 win Thursday night.
The Utes were seemingly unstoppable. Four of their starters scored in double digits. Each one shot 45 percent or better from the field. Forward Jakob Poeltl was the difference maker. Fresno State struggled to cover him one-on-one. He regularly drew double teams but still finished with 16 points. The seven-foot sophomore was unbeatable on the boards with a game-high 18 rebounds.
Utah will need Poeltl’s services even more against Gonzaga. The Zags are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. Having a big man to go toe-to-toe against Gonzaga’s frontcourt will come a long way for Utah.
Guard play will be important for the Utes. Gonzaga relies heavily on their frontcourt to win them games. Brandon Taylor and Lorenzo Bonam both had solid games in the first round. Taylor finished with 16 points, six assists and four steals against Fresno State, while Bonam dropped 17 points. Putting on a breakneck pace could help Utah get one up on the Zags.
The Utes are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga pulled off the “upset” on Thursday night, beating the sixth-seeded Seton Hall 68-52. Despite being the lower seed in that matchup, the Zags were actually two-point favorites. They’ll need to keep their solid play if they are to topple another top seed in the NCAA Tournament. It all starts with the dynamic frontcourt duo of Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis.
Wiltjer struggled with his shots against Seton Hall, going 5 for 14 from the field for 13 points. Don’t expect him to remain cold; he’s been a pretty good shooter this season, making 49 percent of his field goal attempts. If Wiltjer continues to struggle, then he can rely on do-it-all forward Sabonis.
Sabonis finished with 21 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the 16-point rout of Seton Hall. He’s averaging in double doubles this season with 17.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Expect him to be the Zags’ answer to Utah’s Jakob Poeltl.
While the Zags’ backcourt didn’t shine against Seton Hall, it could still put on some solid performances. Josh Perkins has been pretty strong as of late, averaging 13.3 points and 5.7 assists per game in his last three outings. Eric McClellan has flashed some scoring chops with 17.5 points per game in his last four. Expect the two to surprise in this game.
The Zags are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with winning records.
